Senators Lose 3-1 to Capitals

As every Senator fan knows, scoring the first goal is CRUCIAL for this team to remain in a positive frame of mind. Therefore, what happened 1:12 into the first period definitely pointed things in the right direction. As the puck was sliding across the Washington crease during a mad scramble, goaltender Michael Neuvirth tried to cover it. He couldn’t beat Mike Fisher to the puck however, and the 2nd line center poked it in to give the Senators a 1-0 lead.

The Sens came out grinding in the second, forcing Neuvirth to make several big saves, including a HUGE blocker stop on Filip Kuba. Brian Elliott stood tall at the other end of the ice as well, challenging shooters and not allowing any big rebounds. Nobody could put the biscuit in the basket and the game remained a 1 goal Senator lead.

The same type of play continued throughout the third. That is, until the Senators’ best friend showed up…..THE TURNOVER. Chris Phillips’ pass out front to Daniel Alfredsson, hopped his stick and went right to Brooks Laich. He, of course, snapped it by Elliott and tied the game at 1. Then, 43 seconds later, Milan Michalek was called for cross-checking Karl Alzner into the boards. Right off the resulting face-off, rookie John Carlson would slap it by Brian Elliott and just like that, the Caps were up 2 to 1. Jason Chimera would put the final nail in the coffin by banking the puck off Elliott and in to give the Caps a 2 goal lead, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Another heart-breaking loss for the Senators and once again, it followed the same script. One ill-timed turnover at a crucial point in the game leads to the opposing team gaining momentum and the Senators can’t recover. Even when tied, this team feels like they are behind and unfortunately, in my opinion, this season can now be considered a write-off. Its time to step back, evaluate all those involved with the organization and set forth on a plan for next season.